Page 49 of Empowered
I stopped him before he could leave. “By the way, have you seen Shyam this morning?”
“I believe he is in an important meeting with Master Jai, ma’am.”
Hmmm. I hope nothing is wrong.He was still busy with organizing the business, but he had never let me know that anything was wrong. Maybe it was just another mini fire that needed his attention. Nothing that he and Jai couldn’t handle, I hoped.
“Oh, okay. Thank you.” He hurried back to the kitchen in excitement to prepare my meal.
After a long and very filling breakfast, I wandered into the library to find another book. I had finished my book about the mongoose. It was entertaining for a children’s book, but now I was in the mood for something more risqué after the night I’d had. Unfortunately, there were no sexy novels on the any of the shelves. I settled onJane Eyre, a classic. I knew it by heart, but never tired of re-reading it.
Book in hand, I wandered down the hall to make my way to the courtyard for some fresh air. I passed by Shyam’s office on the way. I missed my man, but I respected that he was busy working. I could probably pop in for a quick kiss and be on my way. I was sure he wouldn’t mind.
I knocked on the door. I heard voices from inside and then some shuffling of shoes. A moment later, the door opened. Jai poked his head out. Judging from his expression, he was less than excited to see me. He looked back into the office before stepping completely into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
“Hey, doll. What’s up?” he asked, avoiding eye contact.
“You’re up early,” I teased.
“You know—early bird gets—ummm—some shit or another.” Something was off. He wasn’t his usual vibrant self. He seemed ready to run away just to avoid me.
I raised my eyebrow at him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” he answered hastily.
“Is Shyam in there?” I motioned to the door he guarded.
“Shyam?” he asked vacantly, as if he had no recollection of who I was referring to.
“Yeah, you know. Your brother?” What the hell was going on?
He chuckled nervously. “Oh, yeah. He’s on a phone call.”
“Oh.” I knew he was lying. I didn’t hear Shyam’s deep voice behind the door, so there was no way he was on the phone. “I just wanted to say hi.”
“I’ll relay the message.” He fixed his mouth into a forced smile.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s just busy. Got plans for the day?” He was trying to distract me.
“Not really. I was just going to head outside and read a book.” I waved my book in the air.
“Oh. Wonderful. Well, don’t let me keep you.” He pressed his hand on my upper back and gently guided me in the direction of the courtyard doors. Why was he trying to get rid of me?
“Um—okay. See ya.” I walked away slowly. That was the most awkward interaction I had ever had with Jai.
•••
I spent the entire day alone. It was nearly five o’clock in the evening and I hadn’t seen Shyam yet. Dinner would be in a few hours and I wasn’t sure if he’d surface by then. Sitting in a leather armchair in the library, I continued thumbing through the pages of my book, not really reading any of the words that usually offered me comfort with their familiarity. Everything seemed foreign to me, even this book.
I kept replaying the events of last night, and I couldn’t think of anything that would have upset him. Had I said something in my sleep that set him off? I was grasping at straws to find a reason why he was ignoring me.
Maybe I was just being silly. Most often, the simplest answer was the right one. It had to be something with work. He was probably was just busy with work.
Raj’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Ma’am, Master Shyam would like to see you in the office.”
This felt too formal to me. Why couldn’t he just come get me himself? However, I was too anxious to see him to spend another moment fussing over this small of a detail.
I sprang to my feet and walked hurriedly down to his office. My heart was racing, and my hand shook as I knocked on the door.
